Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1887-08-11

earn their daily bread. And finally,
when the end came, the sale Of the
sewing-machine itself, together With
their scanty stock OF furniture, barely
sufliccd 10 pay the poor woman's burial
expenses. 1t Is a common story enough.
Hundreds of broken hearted, over
worked, half-starved women all over the
land have lived and died after the same
fashion, and will till the millenDium
comes. Yet this fact does not comfort
the orphans they leave behind them.
Certainly, IL was no comfort 10 Tad,
who was nearly wild with grief at the
loss Of the ono being whom he had to
love in the wide world. Only for things
that his mother said to him before she
fell asleep, fear Tad would have drift
ed into the ways of too many Of our
city boys who. like him. are left home
less and friendless amid temptation and
sin. But the boy had good stuff in
him, and, best of all, he held his moth
er's memory and parting words as
something too sacred to be forgotten.
do not claim that he was one Of those
immaculate street boys common enough
in fiction, but, alasl 50 rare in fact BY
no means. Truth compels me TO state
that Tad Thorne at the age Of fourteen
was rather rude in speech, quick-tem-
pered and the owner of decidedly
obstinate disposition, which, however,
was readily affected by kindly words.
Yet, do you wonder at his faultsP The
only wonder to myself is that Tad did
not become really bad boy; for since
his mothers death he had, rs one may
say, almost lived in the streets. For
Tad had no home. A friendly news
vender gave him lodgings under his
periodical counter in the city post
Office, in return for which Tad sold pa
spers or ran errands. And in odd mo-
ments he had managed to keep soul
and body together by backing boots,
peddling matches, carrying yalises,
holding horses, and a score Of other de-
vices known to the average street boy.
have mentioned Tad's faults; now
let me tell you some of his better quail
ties. He was honest. clcan-mouthed.a and,
generally speaking, truthful, as well as
kind-heayted and generous to an eX-
travagant degree. lie had attended the
night schools 49, attracted at first by
their warmth and comfort-where he
learned to read crcditably, spell fairly,
write legibly and cipher understand.
ingly. But,with his superiority in many
| hn naaAnfn~nn
whom his lot Of late had beer thrown,
Tad, In thinking matters ovot, had tc
confess that, in business point of
view, he had been any thing hut a sue.
cess. The truth is, Tad was not sharp
or unscrupulous enough to compete
with his fellows; but this fact he did
uot recognize.
guess I'm not one of the lucky
ones,' he murmurcd, rather ruefuliy,
as he mentally reviewed his many
business failures, while the swift train,
which was bearing him away from the
scene of them all, TO fresh fields and
pastures new, went laundering on
through the darkness toward Boston.
Bostonl As Tad's thoughts reverted
from the past, the name repeated Itself
over in his mind. "Seems as though
heard mother say once that had an
Aunt Rhoda who lived in Boston, or
Bangor, or-anyway. it was a place
that began with b, somewhere down
East, - muscd Tad. Not that he
hoped, expected or even desired to meet
this, the only relative he knew of in
the world. 1t was enough TO remember
that she had never held communication
with Mrs. Thorne since her marriage to
some one whom her older sister Rhoda
did not like. And slight offered to
his mother was in Tad's eyes an un-
pardonable ofi'ense.
But so much thinking, together witt
the warmth Of the steam-heating pipes
at his back and the even, On-rushnc
movement Of the train, began to max,
Tad dTowsy. Peeping out Of his hiding
place, he could see that many of tn,
passengers were disposing Themselves
for uneasy slumber. and, judging by
certain sounds from the chair in front ol
him, Tad's lady was already in dream
land. So. leaning his head back against
the fur-lined cloak which had already
served him such a good turn, and
being used to sleeping in all sorts Of
postures and places. Tad fell fast asleeI
in no time. Rousing himself at inter
walls long enough to silently change hi
crainpcd position, Tad passed the Ions
night in comparative comfort, unit
with the dawn Of morning all began Il
shake of their drowsiness, and t'
struggle into more comfortable posi-
tions, AS they grumbled about not hav
ing slept wink during the night.
Tad's lady was not exactly cross. bu
Tad noticed that she called her hrls
band Mr.. Mason, instead of john
dear" as on the evening before, wher
she asked him how he had rested. AnC
he also noticed that Mr.. Masor's voic,
was rather sharp as he replied that th'
confounded chair had given him thre,
distinct kinks in his backbone, ans
while economy was well enough in IT,
place, by George! another time he't
have his own way, and take section
in sleeper rs sure as his nam,
was John Masonl
$50, my ladyis Mrs. John Mason"
Tad thought to himself, trying in hi'
Imagination TO picture her face from
the sound Of her voice, aud failing en-
tirely. But without well knowing why
he resolved not tO forget the name o
the lady who-as he mentally cx
pressed it-"belongcd to the ful-lincC
cloak. " Otherand less pleasant thoughts
began 10 obtrudc themselves, rs th,
morning wore on. Now that he wa
so near his destination, Tad's growing
anxiety as TO his future movement
| cOntrasted rather strongly with hi